Face your critics, Mr Livingstone

That Ken Livingstone is now into his eighth year as mayor of London is testimony to his political acumen and capacity for reinvention. His sometimes charming, sometimes belligerent persona now seems a permanent fixture in the capital and has earned him grudging respect from enemies and the loyal support of his allies. But there is a danger that Livingstone's enduring spell in office has left him blind to the questions being asked about the way he exercises power at City Hall.

He and his policy advisers have been accused of using taxpayers' money to rubbish the mayor's enemies; of failing to scrutinise the spending of hundreds of thousands of pounds of money earmarked for regeneration and of using City Hall staff and offices for political fundraising, a breach of electoral guidelines. The mayor's response has been to issue denials and to claim he is the victim of a smear campaign. But this defence seems clumsy, given the evidence in the public domain that indicates a serious examination of many of the allegations is merited. The danger for Livingstone is that his actions are perceived as arrogant, something that won't play well with the capital's electorate or the rest of the country.

For what happens in London has consequences for the whole of the UK. As the Olympics approach, the capital becomes the prism through which the world will see these islands. Livingstone needs to provide answers, otherwise he is in danger of undermining the institution he has come to embody. And that would be a disaster for all.